Life In 19x19

On second thought we just kill it outright with a better continuation.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wc
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 9 . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 7 4 O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 5 1 X 2 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X O 3 O O X . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . X X X O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . O X O O X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . O . O O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Thanks for showing that version ez4u, I thought he's getting bad shape and i can abuse it but couldn't find a way in game.

Another game that i'm deeply unsatisfied with my strategical play. Tactically I have won because I've read much harder than him, but he should have won with ease.

Some thoughts on the game:

At :

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$W
$$ . . . . X . . |
$$ . . X X X X . |
$$ X . X O O O . |
$$ . X O O . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------[/go]

Both L+1 groups (I call this the "long L+1") are unsettled; White lives if he plays first, Black kills if he plays first.

White lives most easily like this (Black would not actually play , but it is the only remotely plausible way to attack):

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$W
$$ . . . . X . . |
$$ . . X X X X . |
$$ X . X O O O . |
$$ . X O O . 1 . |
$$ . . . . 2 3 . |
$$ ---------------[/go]

Generally, you have to actually try to partition your eyespace into two eyes when you have a small amount of space like this; descending to the edge is not sufficient. With the move you played, Black could force a ko. Here is one plausible continuation:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$W
$$ . . . . X . . |
$$ . . X X X X . |
$$ X . X O O O 1 |
$$ . X O O . 2 5 |
$$ . . . . 4 3 6 |
$$ ---------------[/go]

I didn't believe that I misread and didn't see that I'm swallowing two black stones. Thanks for the review and L+1 explanation.

I've won against a 8kyu with 3 handicap and also won against a 5 kyu (both KGS) with no handicap. I feel I'm a bit lucky with the 5 kyu game since he made a blunder at the end of the mid game. I got have lots of questions. I was Black this game. Unfortunately I cannot paste with sgf in text. Both "notepad" copy paste and "adding download link" gives an error:(
http://eidogo.com/#wpZviyxc

Another game i felt clueless about some direction of play questions. Also i have missed 2 tenuki opportunities which was deadly.

For the previous game - I'll admit - I find it difficult to look at the whole picture but I commented on the stuff that came to mind as I looked over it. Take it all with a grain of salt!

You both blundered hugely once each (you with the wrong atari, him missing his), fortunately for you his came last hehe.
The two most important things:

Severity - it looked like you had several opportunities to cut and complicate, especially after you fell behind - but you didn't take them. But if you think you're behind, you sort of have to right? Make it hard on both of you, otherwise he'll just steer the game into a comfortable endgame and win?

And second - you said "negates my thickness" and that struck me as a flawed perspective - since I didn't think he'd done anything of the sort - he'd exchanged one weak and one safe group for two medium-weak groups and given you initiative. Your thickness was still there, not for making points but for helping you harrass him in the most severe way possible (which I'll admit, I have very little clue as how to do heh but maybe someone stronger can point it out).

Just some (dubious probably) ideas and thoughts heh (from a newly minted 2k on KGS).

Thank you very much for the comments Majordomo! There are too many moves I have missed in the close fights. Also I'm really clueless at attacking generally, that's why I've felt like my thickness is negated there. I felt like my top right group is weaker, but his upper group is in worse situation. I generally pay attention to "my" weak groups not opponent's.

Another loss when i was white. The opponent has win percentage of %85, so he might be a smurf. I got lots of questions regarding middle game fighting and some strategic decisions. Thank you in advance! Since there is tournament at December 17th-18th, I'm trying to prepare hard.

The lower right is interesting. In this case the ladders favor White. I think the key point is when Black jumps to 1 below. If White simply extends to 2, the threat on the left is the cut at 3, meanwhile on the right White can stop Black in his tracks with 4.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1 :w2: with threats on both sides
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O O . . . . . . . . . . 2 . 4 . |
$$ | . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . O . 1 . |
$$ | . X O O . . . . . , . . . 3 X O . . . |
$$ | . O X O . X . . . . . . . X O X X X . |
$$ | . O X . . . . . . . . . . X O O O O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

In the game White played the marked stone below instead. When Black answered with 1, there was still the opportunity to extend with 2. Black has filled his own liberty with 1, so it seems like White can play to capture Black down all along the right side with 10.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 6 9 |
$$ | . . X O O . . . . . . . . . . 2 4 5 . |
$$ | . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . O 1 X . |
$$ | . X O O . . . . . , . . . 3 X O . . . |
$$ | . O X O . X . . . . . . . X O X X X W |
$$ | . O X . . . . . . . . . . X O O O O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Yeah, you are right ez4u. I couldn't read the whole sequence, thus I've taken the trade. I will try to read harder these sequences. I could have gained a big advantage over bottom right.

I'm happy I found the same suji as Dave

Some more comments on this bloody fight.

@Knotwilg, I didn't find out about the end game fight sequences, thank you.
Also I do not believe how i missed , it's incredible that how can i misread these easy situations..